MEMPHIS, Tenn., Thursday, March 5, 2008 - Duncan-Williams, Inc., (DWI) a Memphis, Tenn. -based financial services firm announced today that it has been certified by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) as a Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE).
The WBENC is the nation's leading third-party certifier of businesses owned and operated by women in the United States. WBENC works to foster diversity in the world of commerce with programs and policies designed to expand opportunities and eliminate barriers in the marketplace for women business owners. WBENC works in partnership with women's business organizations located throughout the country to provide a national standard of certification for women-owned businesses.
Carolyn Williams, co-chairman of DWI has owned the business since her husband A. Duncan Williams passed away in 1989. She is currently an 89 percent shareholder of DWI with the other 11 percent owned by employees.
"This national certification puts an official stamp on who we have been as a business for two decades," Williams said. "It’s also an added recognition for our work as we continue to move forward with our 500@50 growth initiative."
In 2008, Duncan-William’s Inc., launched 500@50, a comprehensive growth plan tied to the firm’s 50th anniversary in 2019 to transform DWI into a leading financial services company with approximately $500 million in annual revenue.
"Duncan-Williams is one of the largest woman-owned firms in the finance industry. It’s exciting to be a part of this regional firm that is expanding and growing in an area of the country where other larger firms have been exiting," Maria Saldaña, a senior vice president in DWI’s Chicago office said.
Unique in the industry, a 2004 study by the Center for Women’s Business Research found that only nine percent of banking, finance, insurance and real estate businesses in the U.S. are women-owned.
About Duncan-Williams, Inc.
Duncan-Williams, Inc., is a Top 100 Brokerage Firm headquartered in Memphis, Tenn. The firm is a full-service brokerage and investment banking firm providing financial solutions to retail and institutional organizations in 50 states and 11 foreign countries. Duncan-Williams, Inc., is a member of FINRA and SIPC. Duncan-Williams, Inc., has offices in New York City, Jersey City, N.J., Chicago, Seattle, Houston, Charlotte, N.C. and Jackson, Miss. The Women’s Business Enterprise National Council certifies Duncan-Williams, Inc., as a Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE). Additional information is available at www.duncanw.com.